2012 Mahindra Quanto – Click above for picture gallery
Mahindra launched the Quanto compact SUV today. The vehicle is being targeted at couples and the company feels that the Mahindra Quanto can appeal to both husband and wife with its compact dimensions, powerful engine and commanding seating position. On paper, the Mahindra Quanto has a lot going for it. It does have load of features, a powerful engine and good amount of space. However what most prospective buyers would want to know is how does the Quanto drive? We took the Mahindra Quanto for quick spin and here are our first impressions about the car.
* The Mahindra Quanto doesn’t look ugly in person. It doesn’t have proper proportions as Mahindra has just chopped of the Xylo to make the Quanto.
* The front of the Quanto is identical to the Xylo except the top of the grill. The headlights don’t have orange surrounds in the Quanto, rather it is black.
* The side profile is the worst angle to look at the Mahindra Quanto. The tail gate mounted spare wheel has a well designed cover.
* Step inside and there is a good amount of space in both first and second row of seats. Seats are comfortable but the rear seats are too upright and not adjustable.
* You don’t get into the Quanto, you climb into it. The side foot steps help in this regard but not all variants get it.
* Position of power outlet for second row is almost on the floor, which is not easy to use. No arm rest for rear passengers but both front seats have separate arm rests.
* The Quanto is a rear-wheel drive but there is no hump in the middle row and thus three can sit comfortably. However there is no headrest for the middle passenger on the rear seat.
* Last row of seats best for children with no headrests. The jump seats have little width and headroom is inadequate for full sized adults (above 5-feet 8-inches). The last row of windows are too small and have butterfly flaps for opening.
* Last row of seats fold to give decent luggage space. The Quanto is not a complete 7-seater like the Ertiga.
* Interiors of the Quanto are similar to the Xylo. Quality levels are average at best and plastics are hard. In the front two rows, you don’t feel you are in a compact SUV due to the good amount of interior room.
* The high seating position and large glass area give a commanding view of the road ahead. The rear view mirrors are big too.
* The new 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder, mCR100 diesel engine performs well. It has decent grunt for city driving but won’t set the roads on fire. Even with twin-turbochargers, the Quanto doesn’t fly because of its heavy 1640 kgs weight, thanks to the ladder frame.
* The Quanto revvs till 3000 RPM in neutral. The vehicle does take its own sweet time to hit 100 km/h (in 17 seconds) even with 100 BHP of power on tap and 240 Nm of torque. Mid-range performance is good and the Quanto pulls neatly till around 3000 RPM, post which progress starts to trail off.
* The clutch is very light to use. However the gearbox is below average. The gear lever has very awkward slots for all gears, leaving you to guess which gear you are heading for!
* Brakes perform well to stop the massive mass of the Quanto. However pedal feel is lacking and the brake pedal is too hard. One needs to literally stand on the brakes to stop quickly.
* NVH levels of the Quanto could be better. There is significant amount of noise and vibration. As you floor the vehicle, the noise levels increase considerably. Road noise also creeps into the cabin.
* Turbo-lag is present and Quanto feels heavy till the turbo kicks in at around 1600 RPM.
* Steering is light and the commanding view makes driving the Quanto in the city a breeze. The 5.4-meters turning radius is not too much either.
* Ride quality is decent on good roads but the Quanto tends to bounce a bit too much on bad roads.
* With the Quanto having the same suspension system as the Xylo, handling is not confidence inspiring. There is lot of body roll and the top heavy nature of the car becomes immediately apparent when you corner. The small tyres don’t help either.
* Expect mileage of 14-15 km/l in peak city driving, which is very good for a car of this size.
So is the Mahindra Quanto a buy or not? It entirely depends on what you expect from it? During our short stint at the wheel, we could clearly make out that not much work has gone into developing the dynamics of the car. The Quanto behaves like every other Mahindra – easy to drive in the city but poor handling and high speed stability on the highways. At Rs. 8.87 lakhs (on-road, Mumbai) for the C8 variant, the Mahindra Quanto does have a lot going for it. The high seating position, good amount of cabin space (first two rows), versatile seating, generous equipment list and frugal yet adequately powerful diesel engine for the city are the positive points of the Quanto. The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is way superior on quality, refinement, last row space and driving dynamics. However comparing it with the Quanto doesn’t make sense as the Ertiga is much costlier too.
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kunal September 20, 2012 at 7:33 pm
Hello
Good product from Mahindra but they still need to work on ride quality ect… and at the end how much its niggles free.
Short good review by Faisal
S Pani September 20, 2012 at 8:31 pm
You say space is good, but is it good from the point of view of it being a c-SUV or just good compared to similarly priced vehicles. I ask because from the pictures, it just doesnt feel anything like the huge space a customer would expect from the UV.
I really dont see much point in actually buying the Quanto at all. The rear seats are seriously cramped. I wouldnt think of subjecting anybody over 10yrs of age to sit in those seats for even a reasonable amount of time.
It isnt really fast, considering its huge weight, which also compromises its fuel efficiency.
It handles badly, like its bigger sibling. Its interiors are not really that great.
Agreed, its far cheaper than a Ertiga or a Duster. But an Ertiga is far more fuel efficient, has a ultra reliable MJD engine, and is much faster and better handling. Not to mention it can actually seat 7 in comfort. A Duster too has a much more premium image, is far better looking, handles and rides superbly, and in my view is far more spacious.
So if I am looking for a 7-seater I will want to pay-up for the Ertiga. If I want a proper c-SUV, I would much rather go for a Duster, or wait for the EcoSport.
Now the Quanto’s pricing put’s it as an alternate to upper end of premium hatches and the lower end of the sedan market. But all it offers over them are the two puny seats at the back, while it does worse on almost all other fronts. Will a premium hatch buyer or a sedan buyer really want to buy a Quanto despite its large number of disadvantages??
Faisal Khan September 20, 2012 at 8:56 pm
The space is really good from every point. The first and second row offers same space as the Xylo, which means generous amount of room. The wheelbase is the same as the Xylo.
The Quanto makes sense as a 5-seater with the occasional 2 extra. At its price you can’t get anything even close except the RiO which has its own set of problems. The top end Quanto offers way more equipment than the near priced Ertiga or Duster.
S Pani September 20, 2012 at 9:17 pm
I hope by occasional, you mean more like once in a blue moon.
Like I said, the only real advantage are the two extra seats. Add to that the huge amount of disadvantages over the hatches/sedans, I really dont see much point in the Quanto.
As for space, you say it’s as good as the Xylo, but I am still not convinced, unless you can give me solid numbers. I say this becuase there is a good 500mm difference in length between the Xylo and the Quanto. The wheel base is same doesnt mean interior space is same. The positions of the seat mounts can be moved without much issue at all.
Faisal Khan September 21, 2012 at 2:17 am
S Pani, inside the cabin, there is absolutely no space constraint. There is acres of space and you feel like you are in a Xylo. Its only the last row which is cramped.
param October 12, 2012 at 3:58 pm
Will a premium hatch buyer or a sedan buyer really want to buy a Quanto despite its large number of disadvantages??
I already booked one .. lot better compared to overpriced i20 and other premium hatchbacks… so its yes for ur question (test drive urself and then comment … don’t just go by reviews… )
prangon April 6, 2013 at 2:47 pm
yes the space in good. it a complete suv neglecting the last optional two seats facing each other. untill the second row of sits quanto is a fully matured SUV.
Sushrut September 20, 2012 at 9:05 pm
Well.. if you wish to torture anyone, those rear seats are a good tool. I see absolutely no sense in buying this MUV/XUV/ZUV.. whatever….S Pani has ably put it in excellent words.Ford hopefully, will put Eco Sport bang in this price range which would make it an amazing value for money product. Can’t image why Quanto was developed, i see it going down the Xylo way.
Atul September 20, 2012 at 9:53 pm
hit for sure. Mahendra never care handling except for xuv but all of their muv/suv were instant hit. God save Rio.
Atul September 20, 2012 at 9:57 pm
More important is engine. soon Mahindra will put this engine in verito and verito based hatch in 2014-15.
Beaut September 20, 2012 at 10:53 pm
S Pani,
Why do you go for Ertiga if you want a 7 Seater. There is no doubt that there are 7 seats but 7 cannot be seated rather its a 5 seater with 2 child seats.
Amish September 20, 2012 at 11:07 pm
The middle row of Ertiga can be pushed back and forward to create legroom at the rear,so if you want a seven seater family car within 7-10 lakhs,nothing beats Ertiga as other options in that category are quite few
S Pani September 21, 2012 at 6:27 am
The last two seats, of Ertiga no matter how bad, are far far better than the Quanto is.
If the Ertiga’s last two seats are child seats, the Quanto’s last two seat are baby seats.
Amish September 21, 2012 at 10:24 am
The Ertiga has a front facing third which are ergonomically better than the old school jump seats of Quanto which have been have phased out globally due to saftey issues
Ysak September 21, 2012 at 12:41 pm
poor dynamics..??!! i wud go 4 ertiga nytym..
anurag September 21, 2012 at 1:25 pm
One thing i would like to ask ,what are the features that describe atype of vehicle?Here after reading your review Iam getting afeeling that the whole project has become afailure,because no driving dynamics, poor ride quality, hopelessly heavy,unrefined gearbox, and topmost GROUND CLEARENCE OF 180 mm.This is too much from MAHINDRA ,they are taking people for aride.All this things are present in same price level hatchbacks and sedan,where is the benifit? Mahindra.
S Pani September 21, 2012 at 1:37 pm
One more things I just noticed.
You said turbo lag is present. If so, what have Mahindra done by using two turbos. Engines with two or more turbos are primarily used so that turbo lag can be reduced. Many other companies use a simple single variable geometry turbo and go quite a long way in reducing turbo lag.
amx September 21, 2012 at 9:36 pm
This will be a definite hit among cabbies, and rookies, but not for serious buyers (who can shell out some extra bit to get a better equipped vehicle). And just a misnomer SUV, the manufacturers are abusing this acronym to get brownie points for who’s the cheapest of them all, but seriously, this ain’t near a SUV.
S Pani September 21, 2012 at 9:41 pm
Why will the cabbies want this??
They are no longer that worried about initial costs. Mileage is worse than the Ertiga, not to mention it’s not that comfortable especially on the highway, is practically a 5seater, and the Ertiga will continue to have a more premium image. I doubt any cabbie will even look at this.
amx September 21, 2012 at 9:57 pm
Well, if Xylo can sell, why not Quanto? Anything cheap, and it sells in the cab market. And do you think taxi operators even consider comfort and ergonomics when they ply Scorpios, Xylos, Indicas, and the likes? I guess not. Atleast there is a market in semi-urban, mid-market where this vehicle will get consumed. Definitely an eye-sore, and a loser though.
Amish September 21, 2012 at 9:58 pm
Why will the cabbies be interested here as after shelling out a few odd 1.25-1.75 lakh more,they can go for the Xylo itself ! I see Quanto going nowhere, its not a proper 7 seater,not a proper SUV,neither has finesse of premium hatchback ,so where is it going?
amx September 21, 2012 at 10:07 pm
2L differential does mean something for the commercial category. Leave aside the differential, let’s wait and watch. I seriously think this is a horrid design, terrible vehicle, and a bad implant. And whatever it is, it’s not an SUV. A manufacturer can’t just call anything an SUV if it looks like one.
B.R.SHINGALA September 22, 2012 at 5:50 pm
5.82 price are petrol or diesel
if price are petrol is high
if price are diesel is okey
Faisal Khan September 22, 2012 at 6:54 pm
BR Shingala, the prices are for diesel.
Ravinder September 26, 2012 at 1:02 pm
i prsnlly took the test drive on 1st day of its launch….took it on highway…but depresses on performance….on papers it looks better than ertiga….1.5(100 bhp) vs 1.3(90 bhp)….but on road performance is below par….itz hard to reah 100 kmph….and at that speed road grip becomes poor….it feels like running little bit like zig zag….which is very horrified….gear is also not so smooth….but one thing which i would appriciate is space in the 1st two rows…..and i think last seats are forcefully fitted….i dont think think it would give any competition to ertiga or duster…. though it can be compared to rio…..may be itz better than rio…..but people who want to upgrade from hatchback will have to wait for echosport or atleast take test drive ertiga….it will give u peace of mind….regards…..
Faisal Khan September 26, 2012 at 1:57 pm
Ravinder, problem with the Ertiga is the high waiting period.
dee September 27, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Test drive this car… lots of viberation in the first gear , just before the clutch paddle is left . No doubt its a good try from mahindra but only we / customers can give the actual report / outcome. Very hard back seat. Can can be compared with xylo only in looks nothing else. Big car, need a lot of concentration while driving as its difficult / not possible to zipp zapp it could be because of its box like shape. Cant compared with ertiga either coz ertiga is a real comfort car and the quality of plastic used in maruti cars is excellent as compared with quanto. Poor quality of plastic used in dash board and even for door handles. so those who wanna have a MUV within a price range of 7.5 lacs can go for C4 model. Attracting people just coz of a new segment created by Mahindra.
Faisal Khan September 28, 2012 at 1:48 am
Dee, rightly said buddy. The Quanto appeals to those who want an imposing vehicle which is practical too. But not the best to drive.
advocate vikas October 16, 2012 at 10:44 pm
i need a vehicle which can take me to court and back home, saving me from mad trucker, autos, stupid people who drive their car adjoining you ( bringing their vehicle so close that you have to stop and let them go). ertiga doesnt fit here. and at a price of 7.72 lakhs i got fully loaded quanto…..
ATUL October 27, 2012 at 10:38 pm
WHICH IS BETTER TO BUY QUANTO OR ERTIGA ???
Barun November 10, 2012 at 5:21 am
Buy the Ertiga right away. I had almost booked this car but drove a scorpio just for fun nd I ended up buying a used VLX scorpio for lesser than the price of Quanto.
Santosh Kumar Rana November 3, 2012 at 5:03 pm
I THINK QUANTO
AKHIL ARORA November 6, 2012 at 1:32 pm
India is a country of different types of people. For some people Looks should be better. Outside lookswise Ertiga is just a car. But Quanto looks like a SUV. Lets see.
Barun November 10, 2012 at 5:09 am
If you win this in a race or competition its good, but you buy this crap and you are stuck. A car should move and if anyone thinks that this car moves a bit in the first gear is badly mistaken, it crawls. Pull it at green light and see how this car is worse than a CNG santro 11 year old I have.
I tested this car and trust me I will not spend 10 rupees on a sitting duck. I ended up buying a VLX scorpio used.
DHIR December 6, 2012 at 4:36 pm
agar polictician politics hi kar ke des seva hi kare aur coalgage 2g jaise ghotale na kare tou yeh satyug jamane ki baat hui log kuo bhool jate hai ki kalyug ka jamaanaa chal raha hai….
Rajakumar k March 17, 2013 at 7:19 pm
Mahindra is a cheating company
Prangon April 6, 2013 at 3:13 pm
peoples’ comments are all nonsense! let me clearify. xuv500 beaten all the suv of its range… fortuner is also beaten by it upto an extent. scorpio, bolero, xylo all are just unique an unbeaten products of mahindra. now its time for a new revolution by such a cute and small suv Quanto. its not a perfect 7seater but no doubt is a very specious 5 seater. is Honda CVR, renault duster a 7 seater? they even dont have the option which Quanto has. and telling about the ertiga, its just a texi with 0% SUV look. now in case of speed… why dont speed loving customers go for lamborgini, ferrari or other f1 cars! i am working in the project quanto and is realy a very good vehicle it is aimed for. dont cry the customers of ertiga and rio. it is just a challenge where quanto beats such cars. for clearing further doubts just look once at the marketing since its launch.
Faisal Khan April 6, 2013 at 8:23 pm
Prangon, what about several issues with Mahindra vehicles?
Prangon April 6, 2013 at 10:59 pm
Out of 100 pc there might be diffect in 2-3pc. there is recovery of every issue. and to all other flatters mahindra doesnot mind a bit. And it is also clear to all that since its arrival it is leading in case of SUV’s.
Faisal Khan April 7, 2013 at 10:18 pm
Prangon but 3% is a huge error defect rate too. Unheard of in automobiles.
Prangon April 9, 2013 at 6:18 pm
thats ryt Faisal but then also its not that bad too… have one of my own also m not getting any problem. about the look i find it very cute like a baby elephant, its the point of view from different eyes. moreover no other car is there which is 100% perfect.
prangon April 9, 2013 at 6:43 pm
Faisal i mentioned out of 100 piece(PC) not percentage (%).